Nametag grew up in Detroit’s east, west, and north sides, constantly being shuffled around with his mother to avoid repercussions of his father’s drug addiction. He dealt with the familial struggles and nomadic lifestyle by burying himself into his notebook, penning lyrics about his experiences and drawing inspiration from legends like Rakim. He quickly became the latest member of a family chockfull of R&B and gospel vocalists, rhyming with his friends and relatives such as his cousins, Black Milk and Black Beethoven and he got involved in Detroit’s hip-hop history early, and in a big way: his first placement was on Slum Village’s ‘Dirty District Vol. 1’ compilation.